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Seeing foxes out during the day is no cause for alarm. Learn what to do if foxes are living under your porch or deck, how to keep pets safe from foxes and how to tell the difference between rabies and mange.

They serve on the front lines of animal protection,
lobbying legislators, assisting rescues, helping shelters
and so much more. They’re the HSUS state directors:
the first point of contact and often the last hope for
animals in need.

The Virginia House of Delegates has passed legislation restricting inhumane fox pens. It will now go to the Senate for approval of the House amendments. The Humane Society of the United States’ Virginia State Director Laura Donahue issued the following statement in response:

A subcommittee of the Virginia House Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources voted down legislation to restrict inhumane fox pens. The Humane Society of the United States Virginia State Director Laura Donahue issued a statement in response.

The Virginia Senate Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources committee passed a bill to restrict fox pens – fenced enclosures where packs of dogs are released to chase down wild-caught foxes, often killing them – by prohibiting new facilities from opening. Senate Bill 42 passed with a bipartisan vote of 8-7. The Humane Society of the United States Virginia State Director Laura Donahue issued the following statement in response:

Virginia voters overwhelmingly oppose the practice of “fox penning” by a more than 9-to-1 margin – and a large majority support legislation to prohibit the practice. A new poll conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research surveyed 625 statewide voters on various animal welfare issues. Fox pens are fenced enclosures where dogs are released to chase wild-caught, stocked foxes, often killing them. More than 7,000 foxes were subjected to these unsporting and inhumane events in Virginia in the last six years.

The Department of Game and Inland Fisheries received more than 2,000 comments from The Humane Society of the United States Virginia members and supporters calling for an end to fox penning. The Board of the DGIF will meet on June 13 to consider public comment and vote on proposed fox pen regulations.

Recommendations proposed by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and its Board of Directors significantly narrow the options to regulate Virginia’s inhumane fox pens and were met with disappointment by The Humane Society of the United States.

The Humane Society of the United States issued the following statements on Virginia House of Delegates committee vote on Senate Bill 1280, authored by Sen. David Marsden, D-Burke, to crack down on inhumane fox pens.

The Humane Society of the United States and The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals® applaud Sen. David Marsden, D-Burke, for introducing legislation to end staged competitions within fox pens and place a moratorium on new enclosures.

The Humane Society of the United States, the nation’s largest animal protection organization, is pleased to announce that Virginia state Sen. Dave Marsden, D-Burke has been selected as Virginia’s Humane State Legislator for 2012.

The Humane Society of the United States is reaching out to animal control officers, law enforcement officers, and community animal advocates from around the country, offering special training on how to deal with conflicts involving one of America’s hardiest wild creatures: coyotes.